Future commission meetings to be held at 8 a.m.

Published: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 07:42 PM.

PANAMA CITY — City commissioners approved the city’s budget Tuesday night but not before hearing a plea for residential restoration in the Glenwood community.

Ulysses Robinson, 91, came before commissioners with pictures of his home, a dilapidated white house with planks separating on the porch and siding.

William Swift, chairman of Glenwood Working Partnership Inc., told commissioners several other houses in the neighborhood, suffering from the same deterioration, could be spared with a sizable contribution from the Downtown North Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

“The CRA budget is doing things the city should, like repairing drainage and other infrastructure,” Swift said. “And we are trying to put together economic redevelopment in the area, but there is no assistance.”

CRA staff has been working on a residential loan program which would allow people to get CRA dollars for home repairs without meeting the agency’s current matching grant requirements.

CRA Director William Whitson said commissioners will meet Oct. 2 to assemble a task force on the issue.

That left commissioners to approve the city and Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) budgets and final millage rates. Panama City’s total budget comes out to about $183 million, with a millage rate of 3.8723 — the same as last year. The DIB’s budget comes to $196,137 with a millage rate of 2.8918 — increasing from 2.7578. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

PANAMA CITY — City commissioners approved the city’s budget Tuesday night but not before hearing a plea for residential restoration in the Glenwood community.

Ulysses Robinson, 91, came before commissioners with pictures of his home, a dilapidated white house with planks separating on the porch and siding.

William Swift, chairman of Glenwood Working Partnership Inc., told commissioners several other houses in the neighborhood, suffering from the same deterioration, could be spared with a sizable contribution from the Downtown North Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

“The CRA budget is doing things the city should, like repairing drainage and other infrastructure,” Swift said. “And we are trying to put together economic redevelopment in the area, but there is no assistance.”

CRA staff has been working on a residential loan program which would allow people to get CRA dollars for home repairs without meeting the agency’s current matching grant requirements.

CRA Director William Whitson said commissioners will meet Oct. 2 to assemble a task force on the issue.

That left commissioners to approve the city and Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) budgets and final millage rates. Panama City’s total budget comes out to about $183 million, with a millage rate of 3.8723 — the same as last year. The DIB’s budget comes to $196,137 with a millage rate of 2.8918 — increasing from 2.7578. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

The CRA tax increment finance expense increased 39 percent from $758,527 last year to $1,056,883 mostly due to the addition of Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System. Tax increment financing pays for improvements within a designated district, usually blighted areas.

Commissioners also discussed the elusive time when most of the public can attend meetings.

“It’s important to me the public has a chance to participate — and folks work,” said Commissioner John Kady. “The earlier the meeting, it gives people more of an opportunity to come participate.”

Kady motioned to change meeting times to 8 a.m. every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, with CRA meetings held afterward every second Tuesday. Commissioners were divided on the topic, but it passed 3-2, with commissioners Billy Rader and Mike Nichols dissenting.

“You can pick any type of citizens and there could be a reason they could not make it,” Nichols said.

The new meeting times begin with the next commission meeting, Oct. 8 in City Hall.

In other city business, commissioners:

Approved the Panama City Port Authority’s budget of $13,785,100 for fiscal year 2014.

Approved a payment of $50,000 to Bay County associated with tipping fees for the cleanup of the Coyote Panama City Waste Processing Facility.